thomas j



7 (No Model.)

T. J. REID.

VEHICLE HUB. No. 406,770. Patented July 9, 1889.

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

. THOMAS J. REID, OF GANANOQUE, ONTARIO, CANADA.

VEHICLE-HUB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,770, dated July 9,1889.

Application filed April 17, 1889.

To all whom it may concern:,

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. REID, a citizen of the United States, at present residing at Gananoque, in the county of Leeds and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hubs for Vehicle-VVheels, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in shell-band hubs, in which the wooden hub is completely surrounded by a metallic shell made in two parts, the novel features of which will hereinafter more fully appear. 9

The'object of my invention is to produce a hub incased in a metallic shell, in which, when desired, cracked and checked hub-blocks may be utilized to form the core, and-in which the metallic shell is so arranged that the wooden hub can be tightly compressed within it, so as for the spokes.

never to become loose by the shrinking and drying of the wooden hub when in use.

The nature of my improvements can be more fully understood by a reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure 1 is aperspective View of a checked and cracked hub-block to be used as a hubcore. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the block ready to be submitted to hydraulic pressure, and a portion of the press; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the block turned down to receive the metallic shell, and showing the key-section. Fig. 4 shows the back shell in its socket, with hub in place and front shell ready to be compressed thereon. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the incased hub complete and ready Fig. 6 is a cross-section of finished hub through the center with one spoke in place. Fig. 7 shows the tenon and lower portion of the spoke before being driven.

In the drawings, A, Fig. 1, represents a cylindrical hub -block, which is to be turned down to form the wooden core of the hub, as hereinafter described. This hub-block may be unchecked and perfect or checked and cracked, as shown in the drawings, and entirely worthless for a hub under old processes. This cylindrical block, in order to fill up the cracks and consolidate the fibers of the wood, is placed under a hydraulic press and forced Serial No.307,580. (No model.)

through a tapering die 0 andthrough a circular opening D in the plate of the press E, as shown in Fig. 2. After being treated to this squeezing process, which condenses the fibers of the wood, making it more solid and more pliable for the future compression, the block is then turned down, as shown in Fig. 3, to conform somewhat to the final shape of the hub, although somewhat larger than the internal diameter of the metallic shell, and a groove is cut around the center to conform to the internal surface of the shell. This groove may be omitted and the shell itself made to produce the groove under the subsequent pressure. The metallic shell is made in two parts. The back shell F, having cut in it the mortises for the spokes, extends considerably beyond the middle of the hub. On each side and surrounding the mortises the shell is increasedin thickness, so that back of the spokes an internal shoulder is formed in the shell, as at a, while the front edge of the shell is beveled upward, as at b. This back shell is placed in a socket G of the same shape, and by means of hydraulic pressure the hub B is forced into place. The diameter of the hub B being somewhat more than the internal diameter of the back shell, the hub is much compressed when driven into place, and is firmly locked in position by the shoulder a of the shell, the resiliency of the wood completely filling the shell and pressing strongly against it. I11 order to prevent the shell from bursting under the pressure required when driving the hub into place, the shell may be placed within the similar-shaped socket G. In order to completely fill the shell, I also provide a key or wedge-shaped piece of wood K, which is driven to place in order to expand the hub within the shell whenever this is required. The front shell I. is then driven or pressed on the hubby hydraulic pressure. The internal edge of thisfront shell L is beveled to a somewhat sharper angle than the edge of the back outward and inward, as shown in Fig. 6. The faces of the spoke are made straight and parallel to each other, as shown in Fig. 7, and the spoke is of a size to fit within the top of the mortise. The spoke is then driven to place, and, coming between the double bevels of the mortise, is first compressed and then expands to fill the lower portion of the mortise, and thus the spoke is securely locked in place.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A vehicle-hub consisting of a split or checked wooden core, metallic shells for incasing said core, and a vooden wedge for expanding said core Within the casing, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A hub for vehicle wheels, having a wooden core made from cracked hub-blocks first compressed and subsequently expanded within a metallic shell, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a hub for vehicle-wheels, the combination of the wooden core 13 and metallic shells L and F, having oppositely-beveled inner edges so inclined that the edge of one will be' upset by contact with the other as the shells are driven to place, substantially as and in the manner. described.

4. In a hub for vehicle-wheels, the combination of the wooden core B and metallic,

shell F, extending beyond the middle of the hub, having its inner portion thickened so as to form an inwardly-proj ecting shoulder, substantially as and in the manner described.

5. In a hub for vehicle-wheels, the combination of the wooden core B, the metallic shell F, with inner portion thickened to form inwardly-projecting shoulder and inner edge beveled upward, and the metallic shell L, with inner edge beveled downward, substantially as and for the purpose described, W I

6. As an improved article of manufacture, a hub made up of a wooden body having a single longitudinal split and a wedge-shaped expanding piece tapering both longitudinally and transversely, said hub being incased by a metallic shell, within which it is expanded by the wedge-shaped piece.

THOMAS J. REID. itn esses:

JOHN THOMPSON, \V. B. CARROLL. 

